"And it seems to me that you are most defensive. Why is that?"

Reinette was not paranoid, she was a realist. But her acceptance of what her role meant and the consequences of her choices was not something she viewed as a negative. Rather it was a key component to her success.


A single golden eyebrow arched.

"What did you learn, then. From the tree that you were examining so diligently."

There, then, was a smile.

"Was it the bark that was most enlightening. Or the branches?"